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“Number 2 of our ‘100 Greatest Singers of All Time!’” ~ Rolling Stone Magazine

This concert is in posthumous praise of Ray Charles – starring Perrian Jordan as “Brother Ray” adn the beautifully-pitched Dee Alexander, Yvonne Gage, and Joan Collaso as the “Raelettes”.

“As exciting and authentic as if we’re all cheering Mr. Charles singing ‘America the Beautiful’.” ~ Buzz Katzen

The band behind these four singers is the big and powerful ASU Concert Jazz Orchestra, led by Valley-favorite Mike Kocour on piano.

“Kocour is one of the most sophisticated pianists in Jazz.” ~ Chicago Tribune

You’ll be stomping your feet for all of these Greatest Hits and more:

• Georgia on My Mind
• Crying Time
• I Can’t Stop Loving You
• I Got a Woman
• Unchain My Heart
• Hit the Road Jack

Guest Artist Bios

A Big Band Salute to Ray Charles
The iconic “soul man” Ray Charles receives a heartfelt tribute in A Big Band Salute to Ray Charles at Arizona Musicfest. His culture-bending combination of blues, big band, country and gospel swept the nation, creating a whole new genre of popular music. His songs, such as Let the Good Times Roll, Georgia on My Mind, Hit the Road Jack, Unchain My Heart, I Can’t Stop Loving You, influenced generations of listeners and musicians. Countess singers, ranging from Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin to the Beatles and Van Morrison cited Ray Charles as an influence.

Chicago vocalist Perrian Jordan revels in his portrayal of “Brother Ray.” Jordan, a regular at venues like Chicago’s Gaslight Club, New York’s Blue Note and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., receives wholehearted backup from the three “Raelettes,” Dee Alexander, Yvonne Gage and Joan Collaso. Perrian has performed with “name” artists like James Brown, Frankie Valli, The Blue Man Group, Lou Rawls and Willie Nelson.

Mike Kocour applies his high standards on the keyboard to Ray Charles’ classics, and is flawlessly in t he groove with Jordan. Cited by the Chicago Tribune as “one of the most sophisticated pianists in jazz,” Kocour has appeared with acclaimed jazzmen Dizzy Gillespie, Eddie Harris, James Moody, Eddie Daniels, Randy Brecker, Benny Golson, Ira Sullivan, Carl Fontana, Dewey Redman and Lew Tebackin. Plus, which shows he’s got extensive ‘chops,’ he has played with the Chicago Symphony, one of the classical world’s “Big Five.”

Behind Jordan, Alexander, Gage, Collaso and Kocour, is the powerful, swinging, big band sound of the ASU Concert Jazz Orchestra led by Jeff Lindberg. Lindberg represents a new breed of American conductors who are equally comfortable with American jazz or European symphony orchestration. He is artistic director of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra and Wooster Symphony Orchestra.

A Big Band Salute to Ray Charles delivers the hits without holding back: I Can’t Stop Loving You, From the Heart, Let the Good Times Roll, I’ve Got a Woman, Mary Ann, Don’t You Know, Georgia on My Mind, One Mint Julep, Hit the Road Jack, Bye Bye Love, Unchain My Heart, Night Time Is The Right Time, You Are My Sunshine, Ain’t That Love, and on, and on.

“What is a soul? It’s like electricity,” said Ray Charles, “we don’t really know what it is, but it’s a force that can light a room.”